ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- The 48th Fighter Wing, 100th Air Refueling Wing, 352nd Special Operations Wing and 501st Combat Support Wing will participate in a 48-hour readiness exercise Feb. 11-13 that will include limited flying at night.
During this period, communities and the surrounding regions of RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Fairford may see and hear U.S. aircraft taking off and landing, and transiting to training ranges over the North Sea several times between sunset and sunrise.
“We understand night flying operations can cause disturbance and we will continue to minimize the impact however possible,” said Col. Will Marshall, 48th Fighter Wing commander. “These types of training exercises are necessary to ensure our Airmen maintain a level of readiness to support and defend our nation, the United Kingdom and our allies.”
Overland flying will be limited as much as possible between sunset and sunrise. Additionally, the exercise does not include plans for low-altitude flying in East Anglia or the surrounding regions during established quiet hours.
“On behalf of the Liberty Wing and our partners at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Fairford, we appreciate the patience and understanding of our local communities during this brief period of important training,” Marshall said.
All flying operations will be conducted in accordance with Ministry of Defence and U.K. airspace regulations.
For any aircraft-related flying concerns, please contact Squadron Leader Jamie Turnbull, the RAF Lakenheath station commander, at RAF.CC@us.af.mil or the MOD at SWK-lowflying@mod.gov.uk.
Media queries related to the readiness exercise may be directed to the 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office at 48fw.pa@us.af.mil; the 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs office at 100arw.pa@us.af.mil; or the 501st Combat Support Wing Public Affairs office at 501csw.pa@us.af.mil.